"Jie Cheng Little Brother, I'm taking you somewhere good today."
Hakuda training is already physically demanding, let alone a high-level technique like Ikkotsu. After half a day of training, Jie Chengxian and Yoruichi felt completely empty, as if they could eat a whole cow.
"It's not going to be your kitchen again where I have to wait on you, is it?"
Ever since he showed off his skills as a master chef in front of Yoruichi, Jie Chengxian had been dragged off to cook for her from time to time, to the point where her family's attendants started calling him the head chef.
"Oh, just follow me." Yoruichi leaned on Jie Chengxian's back and pointed in a direction, "Move out!"
Practicing Ikkotsu just now had truly exhausted Yoruichi. There was no helping it; she wasn't a freakish genius like Jie Chengxian. Having consumed too much stamina through constant practice, she really couldn't move right now.
"Hey, why are you sticking to me when you're covered in sweat!"
"Stop nagging, it's the fragrant sweat of a beautiful girl, don't you understand?"
Yoruichi was embarrassed and annoyed by Jie Chengxian's words. She suddenly locked her arm around Jie Chengxian's neck with just the right amount of force—not enough to cause pain, but enough to make him uncomfortable.
"Do you still dare to be disgusted by me?"
Yoruichi breathed into Jie Chengxian's ear, her tone carrying a provocative smile.
Jie Chengxian turned his head and took a deep breath near Yoruichi's neck; after all, practice is the only criterion for testing truth.
"Hmm, yours is indeed fragrant, but I'll have to personally verify other beautiful girls before I can confirm if you're right."
"Go to hell!"
One was the genius disciple newly recruited by the Captain Commander, and the other was the head of the Shihōin Clan. The two of them laughed and dashed toward their destination, completely ignoring the gazes of the patrolling Shinigami on the streets.
"Isn't this the Twelfth Division? Is this the 'good place' you mentioned?"
"Stop nagging, just follow me."
Getting off Jie Chengxian's back, Yoruichi pulled him inside to a door. After knocking a few times, she called out, "Captain Kiryu." A series of clattering sounds came from inside, giving the impression that the room was quite messy.
"Little Yoruichi, you're here!"
Hikifune Kirio rushed out to greet them. The moment she opened the door, Jie Chengxian was stunned.
Wow, a huge treasure chest!
Even the loose shinigami uniform couldn't hide Hikifune Kirio's proud curves. The heavy undulations drew Jie Chengxian's gaze. Scientists really don't lie; indeed, the greater the mass, the greater the gravity.
Thank you, Yoruichi, this is indeed a good place... Ugh.
Yoruichi naturally saw where Jie Chengxian's gaze landed. She jabbed his waist with her elbow, making him gasp in pain. Looking down at her own toes, Yoruichi felt that bringing Jie Chengxian here today was a mistake.
"This must be the young Jie Cheng, the new disciple Old Man Yamamoto took in recently. I heard you defeated the former Third Division Captain, Kinoshita Hanta, yesterday. That's truly amazing."
Hikifune Kirio patted Jie Chengxian's shoulder in admiration, remarking that young people these days are truly incredible. Although Kinoshita Hanta was considered the bottom of the barrel among captains, defeating a captain's Bankai using only Hakuda was a remarkable achievement. Yoruichi curled her lip, noticing Jie Chengxian's gaze drifting again toward the prominent areas that moved with Hikifune Kirio's gestures. She quietly stepped between them to block his view, but unfortunately, as the shortest of the three, she couldn't manage it.
"Cough, Captain Kiryu, haven't you been researching new cuisine lately? We just finished training and used up a lot of stamina, so we came specifically to experience the effects of your cooking."
A while ago, when Yoruichi visited, Hikifune Kirio had spent half the day talking to her about spirit particles-infused cuisine. It was said to quickly restore a Shinigami's depleted spiritual pressure and stamina, which was perfect for the two of them whose energy was currently bottomed out.
Hikifune Kirio was naturally happy to have someone help her taste-test new dishes; it was all valuable experimental data. After being busy for a while in a room that felt more like a Laboratory than a kitchen, Hikifune Kirio brought out several plates of exquisite food. Even with the naked eye, one could tell these dishes were extraordinary.
"There's quite a bit of spirit particles incorporated in here, isn't there?"
"Oh? You can feel it, young man?"
Jie Chengxian nodded. Originally, his perception of spirit particles wasn't low, and after using Shunko to fuse Kido into his body, his sensitivity to spirit particles had increased further. However, Jie Chengxian remembered that Hikifune Kirio's cooking would deplete her spiritual pressure and make her body extremely thin, so she gained weight to store calories for safety... Looking at her now, she probably hadn't reached the point where making a single meal would exhaust her spiritual pressure.
Even without the exaggerated effects of the complete version, Hikifune Kirio's current cooking provided impressive recovery. Just a few bites made him feel his spiritual pressure restoring significantly. If only the taste were a bit better... "What's wrong, young man? Is it not to your taste?"
Noticing the inadvertent trace of regret in Jie Chengxian's expression, Hikifune Kirio leaned in and blinked while asking. Watching Jie Chengxian shake his head and walk toward her kitchen, Hikifune Kirio looked confusedly at Yoruichi, who was still eating ravenously.
"Oh, it's nothing. You'll understand when Jie Cheng Little Brother comes out."
Yoruichi answered Hikifune's confusion unclearly while continuing to fill her stomach. There was no choice; she had consumed quite a bit just now, and for now, anything that filled her stomach would do.
Finally waiting for Jie Chengxian to reappear, Hikifune Kirio's eyes widened as various novel dishes and desserts were continuously served onto the table.
The technology in the Soul Society was clearly quite advanced, but the quality of daily life was somewhat low. Even though all kinds of kitchen utensils and seasonings were available, no excellent food culture had developed.
"Oh oh, what are these? I've never heard of them! And are these desserts from the Human World? But they feel much more exquisite."
Hikifune Kirio was like a country bumpkin entering a grand garden, letting out novel exclamations from time to time. For someone who loved food, this was simply heaven. She feasted on Jie Chengxian's cooking, repeatedly exclaiming "Delicious." Yoruichi, who also wanted to eat, watched the food disappear at an alarming speed and had to give up on that idea.
"Phew—young man, you really are incredible."
After finishing every bit of the food Jie Chengxian made, Hikifune Kirio sincerely admired him. It was one thing to have high combat talent, but to even cook this well... "Sister Kiryu, you flatter me. If you're interested, the two of us can discuss it; I'm also very interested in your method of incorporating spirit particles into cooking."
"Really? No time like the present, let's start now!"
As expected of someone who could become a Captain, this 'just do it' style of action was not simple.
"This utensil is better used this way, and for ingredient processing, it should be..."
"The trick to incorporating spirit particles into food is..."
Yoruichi watched Captain Hikifune and Jie Chengxian discussing heatedly in the kitchen. Even though there were three people in the room, why did she feel a bit redundant?